Appliance suite equipped with a synced sound system

ABSTRACT

A system and a method for generated synchronized audible communications are provided. In one aspect, a system includes a suite of appliances, including at least a first and second appliance. Each appliance has a speaker operable to generate one or more audible communications. The system includes one or more controllers that output one or more sound commands that cause the speakers of the appliances to generate their respective audible communications. One or more of the appliances include a proximity device operable to detect whether a user is within a proximity range thereof. In some instances, the speakers can generate audible communications to amplify their audible communications. In other instances, the speakers can generate audible communications to create localization cues for directing a user&#39;s attention to a particular appliance.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The subject matter of the present disclosure relates generally toappliances, and more particularly to an appliance suite equipped with asynced sound system.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In some instances, consumers may have difficulty hearing auditory alertsor other audible communications generated by speakers of theirappliances. For instance, a consumer may have difficulty hearing a timeralert generated by an oven appliance if he or she is not in the kitchenwhere the oven appliance is located. Some appliances include speakersthat are insufficient or not capable of producing the necessary volumefor a consumer to hear a generated alert throughout their home. Notbeing able to hear generated alerts and the resulting consequences ofmissing alerts may be inconvenient to consumers.

Moreover, many consumers desire to have rich media experiences withtheir appliance suites, particularly in the kitchen. For instance,consumers may desire to stream media content on display devices of theirappliances for step-by-step cooking instructions, listen to music, andengage in other media activities while in the kitchen. Many appliancesonly include a single type of speaker capable of producing sounds atcertain frequencies and intensity. As consumers desire more immersivesonic experiences, such speaker capabilities may be limiting and mayprovide a less than desirable media experience.

Accordingly, improved systems and methods that address one or more ofthe challenges noted above would be useful.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Aspects and advantages of embodiments of the present disclosure will beset forth in part in the following description, or may be learned fromthe description, or may be learned through practice of the embodiments.

In one aspect, a system is provided. The system includes a firstappliance having a first speaker and a second appliance having a secondspeaker. The system also includes one or more controllerscommunicatively coupled with the first speaker and the second speakerand operable to output one or more sound commands. The first speaker isconfigured to: receive at least one of the one or more sound commandsoutput by the one or more controllers; and in response to the receivedat least one of the one or more sound commands, generate one or moreaudible communications. Furthermore, the second speaker is configuredto: receive at least one of the one or more sound commands output by theone or more controllers; and in response to the received at least one ofthe one or more sound commands, generate one or more audiblecommunications such that the one or more audible communicationsgenerated by the first speaker and the one or more audiblecommunications generated by the second speaker are synced.

In another aspect, a method is provided. The method includes receiving,by one or more controllers, one or more detection signals indicative ofwhether a user is within a proximity range of a proximity device of atleast one of a first appliance and a second appliance. Further, themethod includes outputting, by the one or more controllers, one or moresound commands based at least in part on whether the user is within theproximity range of the proximity device of at least one of the firstappliance and the second appliance. Moreover, the method includesgenerating, by a first speaker of the first appliance, one or moreaudible communications based at least in part on the one or more soundcommands. In addition, the method includes generating, by a secondspeaker of the second appliance, one or more audible communicationsbased at least in part on the one or more sound commands.

These and other features, aspects and advantages of various embodimentswill become better understood with reference to the followingdescription and appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which areincorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrateembodiments of the present disclosure and, together with thedescription, serve to explain the related principles.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Detailed discussion of embodiments directed to one of ordinary skill inthe art are set forth in the specification, which makes reference to theappended figures, in which:

FIG. 1 provides a schematic view of an exemplary system according toexemplary embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 provides a schematic top plan view of an appliance suite locatedwithin a kitchen of a consumer's home according to exemplary embodimentsof the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 provides another schematic top plan view of an appliance suitelocated within a kitchen of a consumer's home according to exemplaryembodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 provides yet another schematic top plan view of the appliancesuite of system of FIG. 1 located within a kitchen of a consumer's home;and

FIG. 5 provides a further schematic top plan view of the appliance suiteof system of FIG. 1 located within a kitchen of a consumer's home.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference now will be made in detail to embodiments of the invention,one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Eachexample is provided by way of explanation of the invention, notlimitation of the invention. In fact, it will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be madein the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit ofthe invention. For instance, features illustrated or described as partof one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to yield a stillfurther embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the present inventioncovers such modifications and variations as come within the scope of theappended claims and their equivalents.

It is noted that, for the purposes of the present disclosure, the terms“includes” and “including” are intended to be inclusive in a mannersimilar to the term “comprising.” Similarly, the term “or” is generallyintended to be inclusive (i.e., “A or B” is intended to mean “A or B orboth”). The terms “first,” “second,” and “third” may be usedinterchangeably to distinguish one component from another and are notintended to signify location or importance of the individual components.

FIG. 1 provides a schematic view of a system 100 according to anexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. System 100 includes anappliance suite equipped with a synced sound system. As will beexplained herein, various speakers of the appliances of the appliancesuite can generate one or more audible communications in a synchedmanner based at least in part on one or more outputted sound commands byone or more controllers. The audible communications are generated in asynced manner in that they are audibly arranged to produce a specificresult or accomplish a specific task. For instance, the audiblecommunications can be generated to amplify an alarm or alert of anappliance, to draw a user's attention to a particular appliance, and/orto create a more immersive and intuitive sonic experience for a userwith his or her appliance suite.

The appliance suite includes a plurality of appliances (e.g., at leasttwo appliances), including a first appliance 110, a second appliance120, a third appliance 130, a fourth appliance 140, and a fifthappliance 150. The appliances 110, 120, 130, 140, 150 of system 100 canbe any suitable type of appliance. For instance, the appliances 110,120, 130, 140, 150 of system 100 can be, without limitation, a washingmachine appliance, dryer appliance, microwave appliance, oven appliance,cooktop appliance, range appliance, water heater appliance, dishwasherappliance, refrigerator appliance, freezer appliance, icemakerappliance, or kitchen hub cooking system. Other consumer appliances arecontemplated. For the depicted embodiment of FIG. 1, first appliance 110is a smart kitchen hub embodied as a display device with exhaustfeatures; second appliance 120 is a range appliance having a cooktopappliance and an oven appliance; third appliance 130 is a microwaveappliance; fourth appliance 140 is a dishwasher appliance; and fifthappliance 150 is a refrigerator appliance. First appliance 110 (e.g.,smart kitchen hub) can be placed vertically above second appliance 120(e.g., range appliance). Furthermore, the suite of appliances of FIG. 1can be positioned within a consumer's kitchen. Although five (5)appliances are shown in FIG. 1, in other embodiments, system 100 canhave more or less than (5) appliances. In some embodiments, system 100includes at least two (2) appliances.

Each appliance 110, 120, 130, 140, 150 of system 100 can include acontroller, a network interface, and a communication module. Thecommunication module of each appliance can include one or more speakersas well as other devices, such as one or more microphones for receivingvoice commands from a consumer. Particularly, for the illustratedembodiment of FIG. 1, first appliance 110 includes a controller 112, anetwork interface 114, and a communication module that includes one ormore speakers 116. As will be explained herein, speaker 116 can besynched with speakers of other appliances of system 100 to generatesynced audible communications, e.g., alerts, music, voice instructions,etc. to create a more immersive sonic experience. First appliance 110can also include one or more proximity devices for determining whether aconsumer is in a proximity range of first appliance 110. As one example,the proximity device can be a proximity sensor 118. As another example,the proximity device can be an imaging device, such as a camera 119.

Controller 112 can include one or more processors and one or more memorydevices. The processor(s) of controller 112 can be any suitableprocessing device, such as a microprocessor, microcontroller, integratedcircuit, or other suitable processing device. The memory device(s) ofcontroller 112 can include any suitable computing system or media,including, but not limited to, non-transitory computer-readable media,RAM, ROM, hard drives, flash drives, or other memory devices. The memoryof controller 112 can store information accessible by processor(s) ofcontroller 112, including instructions that can be executed byprocessor(s) of controller 112 in order to provide functionality tofirst appliance 110. For instance, controller 112 can execute one ormore software applications or control logic for certain functionalityoperations, e.g., causing speaker 116 to generate one or more audiblecommunications (e.g., tones). Controller 112 is communicatively coupledwith network interface 114, speaker 116, and the proximity device,including proximity sensor 118 and/or camera 119.

Generally, network interface 114 of first appliance 110 provides a meansfor first appliance 110 to connect to one or more networks, such asnetwork 160, and also provides for consumers to connect to firstappliance 110, e.g., via an electronic user device. Network interface114 can include any suitable components for interfacing with network 160and/or user devices. For example, network interface 114 can includetransmitters, receivers, ports, antennas, or other suitable componentsfor interfacing with network 150 and/or user devices. In someembodiments, network interface 114 is an onboard component of controller112. In alternative embodiments, network interface 114 is an offboardcomponent of controller 112. Network interface 114 can establishcommunication with one or more networks and/or user devices in anysuitable manner, e.g., via a wired or wireless communication link, andwith any suitable protocol. As one example, network interface 114 caninclude an 802.11n 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi radio. Network interface 114 caninclude suitable hardware for interfacing with other wireless networktypes as well, such as e.g., Wi-Fi networks generally (IEEE 802.11networks), ZigBee (IEEE 802.15-4), Bluetooth Low Energy (LE), andBluetooth Mesh. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments,network interface 114 can include hardware and/or input/output ports forconnecting with network 160 is a wired communication link. That is, inaddition or alternatively to connecting wirelessly with network 160and/or user devices, first appliance 110 can be connected to network 160and/or user devices via a wired connection.

Network 160 can be any suitable type of network, such as a local areanetwork (e.g., intranet), wide area network (e.g., internet), low powerwireless networks, e.g., Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), or some combinationthereof and can include any number of wired or wireless links. Ingeneral, communication over network 160 can be carried via any type ofwired and/or wireless connection, using a wide variety of communicationprotocols (e.g., TCP/IP, HTTP, SMTP, FTP), encodings or formats (e.g.,HTML, XML), and/or protection schemes (e.g., VPN, secure HTTP, SSL).

The communication module of first appliance 110 includes one or morespeakers, as noted above. For this embodiment, the communication moduleof first appliance 100 includes speaker 116 and can include otherdevices, such as a microphone. As will be explained further below, inresponse to one or more sound commands (e.g., electrical signals),speaker 116 is operable to generate one or more audible communications,such as one or more tones to direct a consumer's attention to firstappliance 110 or another appliance 120, 130, 140, 150 of system 100.Speaker 116 can be any suitable type of speaker operable to generateaudible communications or sounds.

As further shown in FIG. 1, first appliance 110 includes one or moreproximity devices. For this embodiment, first appliance 110 includesproximity sensor 118 and camera 119. Proximity sensor 118 can be anysuitable type of sensor operable to detect the presence of a consumerproximate first appliance 110, e.g., within a proximity range thereof.Proximity sensor 118 can use electromagnetic fields, light, and/or soundto detect the presence of a consumer. The proximity range in whichproximity sensor 118 can detect a consumer can be varied or sized to thephysical layout of a consumer's home. For instance, the proximity rangecan be set such that proximity sensor 118 detects a consumer when he orshe enters a kitchen where first appliance 110 is located. In someembodiments, in addition to simply detecting the presence of a consumerwithin a proximity range of first appliance 110, proximity sensor 118 isoperable to detect a user location of the consumer when the consumer isin the proximity range of proximity sensor 118. To provide enhancedaccuracy of the user location of the consumer, signals or feedback fromproximity sensor 118 can be used in conjunction with other proximitydevices of first appliance 110 (e.g., camera 119) and/or proximitysensors of the other appliances 120, 130, 140, 150 of system 100.

Camera 119 can be any suitable type of camera operable to capture stillimages or video. In some embodiments, camera 119 can capture one or moreimages and/or video of a consumer or other object located within theproximity range of first appliance 110. The captured images and/or videocan be routed to controller 112 for processing, and based on thecaptured images and/or video, controller 112 can cause speaker 116 togenerate an audible communication, e.g. an alert. In some instances,based on the captured images and/or video, controller 112 can causespeaker 116 to not generate an audible communication. In someembodiments, camera 119 and/or a processing device of controller 112 canexecute image recognition software, e.g., to distinguish between adults,pets, kids, etc. that are within proximity range of first appliance 110or another appliance 120, 130, 140, 150 of the appliance suite of system100. In this way, the type of audible communication, the volume orintensity of the audible communication, whether an audible communicationis generated at all, etc. can be modified/changed based on who or whathas been captured by camera 119. As noted above, camera 119 can be usedin conjunction with proximity sensor 118 and/or other proximity sensorsof appliances 120, 130, 140, 150. For instance, if one or more of theproximity sensors of appliances 110, 120, 130, 140, 150 detect aconsumer (or other object in proximity range thereof), camera 119 can beactivated by controller 112 to capture a still image or video of theobject(s).

The other appliances of system 100 can include the same or similarfeatures as first appliance 110. For instance, for this embodiment,second appliance 120 includes a controller 122, a network interface 124,one or more speakers 126, and a proximity device, such as proximitysensor 128. In some embodiments, second appliance 120 optionally doesnot include a proximity device. As further depicted in FIG. 1, thirdappliance 130 includes a controller 132, a network interface 134, one ormore speakers 136, and a proximity device, such as proximity sensor 138.In some embodiments, third appliance 130 optionally does not include aproximity device. In addition, for this embodiment, fourth appliance 140includes a controller 142, a network interface 144, one or more speakers146, and a proximity device, such as proximity sensor 148. In someembodiments, fourth appliance 140 optionally does not include aproximity device. Further, for this embodiment, fifth appliance 150includes a controller 152, a network interface 154, one or more speakers156, and a proximity device, such as proximity sensor 158. In someembodiments, fifth appliance 150 optionally does not include a proximitydevice. The controllers, network interfaces, speakers, and proximitydevices of second appliance 120, third appliance 130, fourth appliance140, and fifth appliance 150 can be configured and function in the sameor similar manner as controller 112, network interface 114, speaker 116,and proximity device(s) 118/119 of first appliance 110, respectively.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, an example manner in which system 100can generate synced audible communications will now be provided. Asdepicted, FIG. 2 provides a schematic top plan view of the appliancesuite of system 100 of FIG. 1 located within a kitchen of a consumer'shome. For this example, suppose a food item is in the process of beingcooked in second appliance 120 (e.g., within the oven appliancethereof). Further, suppose that a countdown timer is scheduled to countdown to zero (0) within a predetermined time of the present time, e.g.,five seconds (5 s) from the present time. Further suppose that speaker126 of second appliance 120 is scheduled to generate an audiblecommunication (e.g., an alert) upon the expiration of the countdowntimer (i.e., when the countdown timer reaches zero (0)). In this way, auser may know that his or her food item has finished cooking. Moreover,for this embodiment, suppose that controller 112 of first appliance 110is a central or main controller of system 100. It will be appreciatedthat, in other embodiments, the main controller can be any of the othercontrollers of system 100 noted herein.

In anticipation of the sound trigger condition (e.g., the expiration ofthe countdown timer in this example), controller 112 of first appliance110 (e.g., smart kitchen hub) can first determine whether a consumer oruser is within a proximity range of second appliance 120. As oneexample, proximity sensor 128 of second appliance 120 can be used todetect whether a consumer is within a proximity range thereof. Asanother example, proximity sensor 128 of second appliance 120 and one ormore other proximity sensors 118, 138, 148, 158 of system 100 can beused to detect whether a consumer is within a proximity range of secondappliance 120. In some instances, when the user is in proximity range oftwo or more proximity sensors 118, 128, 138, 148, 158, the proximitysensors 118, 128, 138, 148, and/or 158 can collectively be used todetect a location of the user. As yet another example, camera 119 and/oranother camera of system 100 can be used to detect whether a user iswithin a proximity range of second appliance 120. Based at least in parton one or more detection signals received from the one or more proximitydevices, e.g., proximity sensors 118, 128, 138, 148, 158 and/or camera119, controller 112 of first appliance 110 can output one or more soundcommands.

As depicted in FIG. 2, a user 200 is located within the home but is notlocated within the proximity range of second appliance 120. Accordingly,the one or more detection signals received by controller 112 indicatethat user 200 is not within proximity range of second appliance 120.Controller 112 outputs one or more sound commands based on the receiveddetection signals. The sound commands output by controller 112 can berouted over network 160 to the appliances 110, 120, 130, 140, 150 ofsystem 100. The respective controllers 122, 132, 142, 152 of theappliances 120, 130, 140, 150 of system 100 can receive the outputtedsound commands (e.g. via their respective network interfaces). The soundcommands can be routed to the respective speakers 116, 126, 136, 146,156 of system 100, and in response to the one or more outputted soundcommands, controller 112 can cause one, some, or all of speakers 116,126, 136, 146, 156 to generate audible communications, e.g., an alertsound, based on the sound commands. For instance, for the presentexample, speakers 116, 126, 136, 146, 156 can generate audiblecommunications in unison at the expiration of the countdown timer,effectively amplifying the alert indicating that the food item isfinished cooking.

In an alternative example, if user 200 is located within the proximityrange of second appliance 120 as sensed by one or more proximity devices118, 119, 128, 138, 148, 158 of system 100, controller 112 can outputone or more sound commands that cause only speaker 126 of secondappliance 120 to generate an audible communication. As another example,if user 200 is located within the proximity range of second appliance120, controller 112 can output one or more sound commands that causespeaker 126 of second appliance 120 and a subset of speakers 116, 136,146, and 156 to generate audible communications, e.g., in unison.Accordingly, system 100 can be configured to amplify audiblecommunications using some or all of the speakers of the appliances 110,120, 130, 140, 150 or can simply cause an audible communication to begenerated by the in-use appliance (e.g., second appliance 120 in theabove example) based at least in part on whether the user is locatedwithin proximity range of the in-use appliance.

Further, in some embodiments, if an object is detected within proximityrange of the in-use appliance, camera 119 can be used to confirm thatthe object is in fact an adult user. For instance, if the detectedobject is a dog or child, controller 112 can output, based on one ormore detection signals received from camera 119, sound commands thatcause all or some of the speakers 116, 126, 136, 146, and/or 156 togenerate audible communications despite the presence of the objectwithin proximity to the in-use appliance.

In addition, in some embodiments, the sound commands outputted bycontroller 112 can be based at least in part on the type or criticalityof the audible communication to be generated. For instance, audiblecommunications to be generated by a speaker of an appliance can beclassified based on criticality, e.g., low critical alert, mid-criticalalert, and high critical alert. For example, with respect to an ovenappliance, a low critical alert may correspond with a “check foodalert,” a mid-critical alert can correspond with a “food is done alert,”and a high critical alert may correspond with an “oven on fire alert.”In such embodiments, based at least in part on the criticality of theaudible communication to be generated, controller 112 can output one ormore sound commands that cause the speakers 116, 126, 136, 146, 156 togenerate an audible communication proportional to the criticalityclassification of the alert. For instance, the number of speakers 116,126, 136, 146, 156 caused to generate an audible communication bycontroller 112 can be selected based on the criticality of the audiblecommunication to be generated and the volume or intensity in which thespeakers generate the audible communication can be selected based on thecriticality of the audible communication to be generated. For example,for a high critical alert, controller 112 can generate one or more soundcommands that cause all speakers116, 126, 136, 146, 156 to generateaudible communications; for a mid-critical alert, controller 112 cangenerate one or more sound commands that cause three (3) of speakers116,126, 136, 146, 156 to generate audible communications; and a lowcritical alert, controller 112 can generate one or more sound commandsthat cause two (2) of speakers116, 126, 136, 146, 156 to generateaudible communications.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 3, another example manner in which system100 can generate synced audible communications will be provided.Particularly, the manner in which system 100 generates soundlocalization cues to draw a user's attention to a particular applianceor area will now be provided. FIG. 3 provides another schematic top planview of the appliance suite of system 100 of FIG. 1 located within akitchen of a consumer's home.

For this example, suppose it is desired to draw a user's attention tosecond appliance 120, e.g., for a check food alert. Controller 112 offirst appliance 110 (e.g., smart kitchen hub) can first determinewhether a user is within a proximity range of second appliance 120.Controller 112 of first appliance 110 can determine whether a user iswithin proximity range of second appliance 120 in any suitable mannerdescribed herein. For instance, one or more proximity devices of theappliances of system 100 can be used, singularly or collectively, todetect whether a user is within a proximity range of second appliance120. In some instances, the location of user can also be determined,e.g., by using camera 119 and/or using a plurality of proximity sensors118, 128, 138, 148, and/or 158. The one or more proximity sensors and/orcamera 119 can send or route one or more detection signals to controller112. The one or more detection signals are indicative of whether a useris within a proximity range of the in-use appliance (e.g., secondappliance 120 in this example), and in some instances, the location ofthe user.

Based at least in part on one or more detection signals received fromthe one or more proximity devices, e.g., proximity sensors 118, 128,138, 148, 158 and/or camera 119, controller 112 of first appliance 110can output one or more sound commands. In this example, the one or moreoutputted sound commands can cause the one or more speakers 116, 126,136, 146, 156 of system 100 to generate audible communications, and moreparticularly, the one or more outputted sound commands can cause the oneor more speakers 116, 126, 136, 146, 156 to generate one or more soundlocalization cues to draw a user's attention to a particular applianceof system 100.

For instance, for the depicted embodiment of FIG. 3, the sound commandsoutputted by controller 112 can cause speaker 126 of second appliance120 to generate a first audible communication and cause speakers 116,136, 146, 156 to generate a second audible communication. The firstaudible communication and the second audible communications can begenerated such that speakers 116, 126, 136, 146, 156 play theirrespective communications in unison or at the same time. Notably, thefirst audible communication can have a distinguishing characteristicthat differentiates the first audible communication from the secondaudible communication. For example, the distinguishing characteristic ofthe first audible communication can be at least one of a differentvolume (e.g., the first audible communication generated by speaker 126can be played at a higher or lower volume than the second audiblecommunications generated by speakers 116, 136, 146, 156), a differentfrequency (e.g., the first audible communication generated by speaker126 can be played at a faster or slower rate than the second audiblecommunications generated by speakers 116, 136, 146, 156), a differentduration, and a pitch.

For the depicted embodiment of FIG. 3, for example, speaker 126 ofsecond appliance 120 can generate the first audible communication andspeakers 116, 136, 146, 156 of appliances 110, 130, 140, 150 cangenerate the second audible communication such that the perceivedlocation of the tone or attention of the user is drawn to secondappliance 120. Specifically, for this embodiment, the first audiblecommunication played by speaker 126 is generated at a louder volume andat a higher frequency than the second audible communication played byspeakers 116, 136, 146, 156. In this way, user 200 can easily perceivethe origination of the audible communication and the attention of user200 is drawn to second appliance 120.

In alternative embodiments, each of the speakers 116, 126, 136, 146, 156of system 100 can generate different audible communications. In suchembodiments, the in-use appliance (e.g., second appliance 120 from theexample above) is configured to generate an audible communication thathas a human-perceived distinguishing characteristic from all otheraudible communications. For instance, supposing second appliance 120 isthe appliance in-use, a first audible communication can be generated byspeaker 126 and the other speakers of system 100 can generate second,third, fourth, and fifth audible communications that are distinguishablefrom the first audible communication and different from one another.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 4, yet another example manner in whichsystem 100 can generate synced audible communications will be provided.Particularly, the manner in which system 100 generates soundlocalization cues to draw a user's attention to a particular applianceor area will now be provided. FIG. 4 provides yet another schematic topplan view of the appliance suite of system 100 of FIG. 1 located withina kitchen of a consumer's home.

For this example, suppose it is desired once again to draw a user'sattention to second appliance 120, e.g., for a check food alert.Controller 112 of first appliance 110 (e.g., smart kitchen hub) canfirst determine whether a user is within a proximity range of secondappliance 120. Controller 112 of first appliance 110 can determinewhether a user is within proximity range of second appliance 120 in anysuitable manner described herein. For instance, one or more proximitydevices of the appliances of system 100 can be used, singularly orcollectively, to detect whether a user is within a proximity range ofsecond appliance 120. In some instances, the location of user can alsobe determined, e.g., by using camera 119 and/or using a plurality ofproximity sensors 118, 128, 138, 148, and/or 158. The one or moreproximity sensors and/or camera 119 can send or route one or moredetection signals to controller 112. The one or more detection signalsare indicative of whether a user is within a proximity range of thein-use appliance (e.g., second appliance 120 in this example), and insome instances, the location of the user.

Based at least in part on one or more detection signals received fromthe one or more proximity devices, e.g., proximity sensors 118, 128,138, 148, 158 and/or camera 119, controller 112 of first appliance 110can output one or more sound commands. In this example, the one or moreoutputted sound commands can cause the one or more speakers 116, 126,136, 146, 156 of system 100 to generate audible communications, and moreparticularly, the one or more outputted sound commands can cause the oneor more speakers 116, 126, 136, 146, 156 to generate one or more soundlocalization cues to draw a user's attention to a particular applianceof system 100. Particularly, one or more audible communicationsgenerated by one or more speakers of system 100 can be alternated orstaggered with one or more audible communications generated by one ormore other speakers to create an oscillatory sound effect.

For instance, for the depicted embodiment of FIG. 4, the sound commandsoutputted by controller 112 can cause speaker 126 of second appliance120 to generate a first audible communication and cause speaker 156 offifth appliance 150 to generate a second audible communication. Forexample, speaker 126 of second appliance 120 can generate a firstaudible communication for one hundred fifty milliseconds (150 ms) andthen speaker 156 of fifth appliance 150 can generate a second audiblecommunication for one hundred fifty milliseconds (150 ms), and so in arepeating manner. In this way, improved salience and audibility of theperceived audible communication can result.

In some embodiments, to further draw the attention of user 200 to thein-use appliance (e.g., second appliance 120 in the example above), thefirst audible communication generated by speaker 126 of second appliance120 can have a dominant characteristic over the second audiblecommunication generated by speaker 156 of fifth appliance 150. Forinstance, the first audible communication be played louder, at a higherfrequency, at a higher pitch, etc. so that a user's attention is moredrawn to second appliance 120 (e.g., the appliance in-use) than thesupporting appliance.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 5, a further example manner in which system100 can generate synced audible communications will be provided.Particularly, the manner in which system 100 generates soundlocalization cues to draw a user's attention to a particular applianceor area will now be provided. FIG. 5 provides a further schematic topplan view of the appliance suite of system 100 of FIG. 1 located withina kitchen of a consumer's home.

For this example, suppose it is desired to draw a user's attention tosecond appliance 120, e.g., for a check food alert. Controller 112 offirst appliance 110 (e.g., smart kitchen hub) can first determinewhether a user is within a proximity range of second appliance 120.Controller 112 of first appliance 110 can determine whether a user iswithin proximity range of second appliance 120 in any suitable mannerdescribed herein. For instance, one or more proximity devices of theappliances of system 100 can be used, singularly or collectively, todetect whether a user is within a proximity range of second appliance120. In some instances, the location of user can also be determined,e.g., by using camera 119 and/or using a plurality of proximity sensors118, 128, 138, 148, and/or 158. The one or more proximity sensors and/orcamera 119 can send or route one or more detection signals to controller112. The one or more detection signals are indicative of whether a useris within a proximity range of the in-use appliance (e.g., secondappliance 120 in this example), and in some instances, the location ofthe user.

Based at least in part on one or more detection signals received fromthe one or more proximity devices, e.g., proximity sensors 118, 128,138, 148, 158 and/or camera 119, controller 112 of first appliance 110can output one or more sound commands. In this example, the one or moreoutputted sound commands can cause the one or more speakers 116, 126,136, 146, 156 of system 100 to generate audible communications, and moreparticularly, the one or more outputted sound commands can cause the oneor more speakers 116, 126, 136, 146, 156 to generate one or more soundlocalization cues to draw a user's attention to a particular applianceof system 100. Particularly, for this embodiment, one or more audiblecommunications generated by one or more speakers of system 100 cancreate the perception of movement toward the desired or in-useappliance.

For instance, for the depicted embodiment of FIG. 5, the sound commandsoutputted by controller 112 can cause some or all of speakers 116, 126,136, 146, 156 to create the perception of movement toward secondappliance 120. In some embodiments, it is known that user 200 is withinproximity range of second appliance 120 but the precise location of user200 is not known. In such embodiments, for example, some or all of thespeakers of system 100 can be used to create the perception of movementtoward second appliance 120. Particularly, based on the sound commandsoutputted by controller 112, speaker 156 of fifth appliance 150generates a first audible communication. Next, after a firstpredetermined delay, speaker 146 of fourth appliance 140 generates asecond audible communication. After a second predetermined delay,speaker 136 of third appliance 130 generates a third audiblecommunication. After a third predetermined delay, speaker 136 of secondappliance 120 generates a fourth audible communication. Thepredetermined time delays can overlap one another (e.g., up to 50% forexample) or not overlap one another. By playing the audiblecommunications in the order noted above the perception of movementtoward second appliance 120 is created thereby drawing the user'sattention to second appliance 120.

In some embodiments, one or more characteristics of the audiblecommunications can be changed or modified with increasing or decreasingeffect with each generated audible communication. For instance, withreference to the example above, the first audible communicationgenerated by speaker 156 can be played at a first volume, the secondaudible communication generated by speaker 146 can be played at a secondvolume that is louder than the first volume, the third audiblecommunication generated by speaker 136 can be played at a third volumethat is louder than the second volume, and the fourth audiblecommunication generated by speaker 126 can be played at a fourth volumethat is louder than the third volume. By sequentially increasing theloudness or intensity of the audible communications, the perception ofmovement toward second appliance 120 is created.

In some embodiments, it is known that user 200 is within proximity rangeof second appliance 120 and the precise location of user 200 is known.In such embodiments, the user's location can be used by controller 112to determine which of the speakers of system 100 to cause to generateaudible communications. For example, with reference to FIG. 5, based ondetection signals received from proximity devices of system 100,controller 112 determines that user 200 is positioned at a sink withinthe kitchen, which is located between fifth appliance 150 and fourthappliance 140 as shown in FIG. 5. Based on the determined location ofuser 200, controller 112 can generate sound commands that cause speakersof system 100 to sequentially draw the attention of user 200 towardsecond appliance 120 (or more generically the appliance in-use).Particularly, based on the sound commands outputted by controller 112,controller 112 causes fourth appliance 140 to generate a first audiblecommunication. The attention of user 200 is thus drawn immediately tohis or her right if they are facing the sink as shown in FIG. 5. Next,after a first predetermined delay, speaker 136 of third appliance 130generates a second audible communication. After a second predetermineddelay, speaker 126 of second appliance 120 generates a third audiblecommunication. The predetermined time delays can overlap one another ornot overlap one another. By playing the audible communications in theorder noted above the perception of movement toward second appliance 120is created thereby drawing the user's attention to second appliance 120,and advantageously, the perception of movement is created based on theuser's known location. In this way, as in the example above, theattention of user 200 can immediately be drawn in the correct direction.

The various embodiments described herein can provide a number ofbenefits and advantages. For instance, system 100 can provide animmersive and intuitive sonic experience for users with respect to theirappliance suites, which can reduce the mental workload and stress ofappliance users. Audible communications, such as alarm tones, are mademore audible and salient, and thus, as one benefit, users can perform oraccomplish more multi-tasking throughout the home. Furthermore, a moreengaging kitchen experience can be provided, which can result in morefamily cohesion during meals and meal prep.

Although specific features of various embodiments may be shown in somedrawings and not in others, this is for convenience only. In accordancewith the principles of the present disclosure, any feature of a drawingmay be referenced and/or claimed in combination with any feature of anyother drawing.

This written description uses examples to disclose the invention,including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in theart to practice the invention, including making and using any devices orsystems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope ofthe invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examplesthat occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intendedto be within the scope of the claims if they include structural elementsthat do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if theyinclude equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differencesfrom the literal languages of the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system, comprising: a first appliance having afirst speaker; a second appliance having a second speaker; and one ormore controllers communicatively coupled with the first speaker and thesecond speaker and operable to output one or more sound commands;wherein the first speaker is configured to: receive at least one of theone or more sound commands output by the one or more controllers; and inresponse to the received at least one of the one or more sound commands,generate one or more audible communications, and wherein the secondspeaker is configured to: receive at least one of the one or more soundcommands output by the one or more controllers; and in response to thereceived at least one of the one or more sound commands, generate one ormore audible communications such that the one or more audiblecommunications generated by the first speaker and the one or moreaudible communications generated by the second speaker are synced. 2.The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first appliance andthe second appliance have a proximity sensor communicatively coupledwith the one or more controllers and operable to detect a user within aproximity range of the proximity sensor.
 3. The system of claim 2,wherein the one or more controllers are configured to: receive, from theproximity sensor, a detection signal indicating whether the user iswithin the proximity range of the proximity sensor; and in response tothe detection signal, generate the one or more sound commands.
 4. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the first appliance has a first proximitysensor operable to detect a user within a proximity range of the firstproximity sensor and the second appliance has a second proximity sensoroperable to detect a user within a proximity range of the secondproximity sensor, the proximity range of the second proximity sensoroverlapping at least in part with the proximity range of the firstproximity sensor, the first proximity sensor and the second proximitysensor being communicatively coupled with the one or more controllers,and wherein the one or more controllers are configured to: receive, fromthe first proximity sensor and the second proximity sensor, detectionsignals indicating the user is within the proximity range of the firstproximity sensor and the proximity range of the second sensor and alocation of the user; and wherein the one or more sound commands areoutput by the one or more controllers based at least in part on thereceived detection signals.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein at leastone of the first appliance and the second appliance have a cameraoperable to detect a user within a proximity range of at least one ofthe first appliance and the second appliance, the camera beingcommunicatively coupled with the one or more controllers, and whereinthe one or more controllers are configured to: receive, from the camera,a detection signal indicating whether the user is within the proximityrange of at least one of the first appliance and the second applianceand including one or more images of the user within the proximity range;when the user is within the proximity range of at least one of the firstappliance and the second appliance, classify the user based at least inpart on the one or more images of the user received as part of thedetection signal; and wherein the one or more sound commands are outputby the one or more controllers based at least in part on theclassification of the user.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the one ormore audible communications generated by the first speaker correspond toa first audible communication and the one or more audible communicationsgenerated by the second speaker correspond to a second audiblecommunication, the first audible communication having a distinguishingcharacteristic that differentiates the first audible communication fromthe second audible communication.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein theone or more audible communications generated by the first speaker of thefirst appliance and the one or more audible communications generated bythe second speaker of the second appliance are generated in unison. 8.The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more audible communicationsgenerated by the one or more speakers of the first appliance arealternated with the one or more audible communications generated by theone or more speakers of the second appliance to create an oscillatorysound effect.
 9. The system of claim 1, further comprising: a thirdappliance having a third speaker, the third speaker beingcommunicatively coupled with the one or more controllers; wherein thethird speaker is configured to: receive at least one of the one or moresound commands output by the one or more controllers; and in response tothe received at least one of the one or more sound commands, generateone or more audible communications such that the one or more audiblecommunications generated by the third speaker are synced with the one ormore audible communications generated by the first speaker and the oneor more audible communications generated by the second speaker, andwherein in synchronizing the one or more audible communicationsgenerated by the first speaker, the second speaker, and the thirdspeaker: i) the one or more audible communications generated by thefirst speaker are first generated, ii) the one or more audiblecommunications generated by the second speaker are generated after afirst predetermined delay of the one or more audible communicationsgenerated by the first speaker, and iii) the one or more audiblecommunications generated by the third speaker are generated after asecond predetermined delay of the one or more audible communicationsgenerated by the second speaker.
 10. The system of claim 9, wherein thefirst appliance is located closer to a user than the second applianceand the second appliance is located closer to the user than the thirdappliance.
 11. The system of claim 1, further comprising: a proximitydevice; and wherein the one or more controllers are configured to:receive, from the proximity device, a detection signal indicating a useris not within a proximity range of the proximity device; and in responseto the detection signal, output the one or more sound commands such thatthe one or more audible communications generated by the first speakerand the one or more audible communications generated by the secondspeaker are generated in unison to produce a collective amplifiedaudible communication.
 12. The system of claim 1, wherein the one ormore controllers include only a main controller, the main controllerbeing mounted to a kitchen hub appliance.
 13. A method, comprising:receiving, by one or more controllers, one or more detection signalsindicative of whether a user is within a proximity range of a proximitydevice of at least one of a first appliance and a second appliance;outputting, by the one or more controllers, one or more sound commandsbased at least in part on whether the user is within the proximity rangeof the proximity device of at least one of the first appliance and thesecond appliance; generating, by a first speaker of the first appliance,one or more audible communications based at least in part on the one ormore sound commands; and generating, by a second speaker of the secondappliance, one or more audible communications based at least in part onthe one or more sound commands.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein theproximity device is at least one of a proximity sensor and a camera. 15.The method of claim 13, wherein in generating, by the first speaker ofthe first appliance, the one or more audible communications based atleast in part on the one or more sound commands and generating, by thesecond speaker of the second appliance, the one or more audiblecommunications based at least in part on the one or more sound commands,the one or more audible communications generated by the first speakerand the one or more audible communications generated by the secondspeaker are generated in a synced manner.
 16. The method of claim 13,further comprising: determining, by the one or more controllers, whethera user is within the proximity range of the proximity device of at leastone of the first appliance and the second appliance based at least inpart on the one or more detection signals; wherein when the user is notwithin the proximity range of the proximity device, the one or moreaudible communications generated by the first speaker and the one ormore audible communications generated by the second speaker aregenerated in unison to produce a collective amplified audiblecommunication.
 17. The method of claim 13, wherein the one or moreaudible communications generated by the first speaker and the one ormore audible communications generated by the second speaker aregenerated such that one or more audible communications generated by thefirst speaker alternate with the one or more audible communicationsgenerated by the second speaker to create an oscillatory sound effect.18. The method of claim 13, further comprising: generating, by a thirdspeaker of a third appliance, one or more audible communications basedat least in part on the one or more sound commands, and wherein the oneor more audible communications generated by the third speaker are syncedwith the one or more audible communications generated by the firstspeaker and the one or more audible communications generated by thesecond speaker such that: i) the one or more audible communicationsgenerated by the first speaker are generated first, ii) the one or moreaudible communications generated by the second speaker are generatedafter a first predetermined delay of the one or more audiblecommunications generated by the first speaker, and iii) the one or moreaudible communications generated by the third speaker are generatedafter a second predetermined delay of the one or more audiblecommunications generated by the second speaker.
 19. The method of claim13, wherein the one or more audible communications generated by thefirst speaker correspond to a first audible communication and the one ormore audible communications generated by the second speaker correspondto a second audible communication, and wherein the first audiblecommunication has a human-perceivable distinguishing characteristic thatdifferentiates the first audible communication from the second audiblecommunication.